


See Me

by vaderina



Category: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (Movies)
Genre: Animal Death, Blindness, Blood and Gore, Dirty Fighting, Imprisonment, M/M, Torture, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-15
Updated: 2017-11-15
Packaged: 2019-02-02 23:17:33
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,771
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12736320
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vaderina/pseuds/vaderina
Summary: A Seer's eyes are only valuable for as long as the Seer is alive.





	See Me

**Author's Note:**

  * For [MissTantabis](https://archiveofourown.org/users/MissTantabis/gifts).



There was something hauntingly picturesque about the maudlin setup of the cell. It wasn’t as barbaric and inhumane as people would want to believe Gellert was but it wasn’t a luxurious hotel equivalent either. He watched with his head cocked to one side as Percival lay on the mattress, eyes shut and breathing even. There was no telling when the man would come round, the potion Gellert had dosed him with was quite potent, all the more so as it was his own invention. But he wasn’t going to toot his own horn, just quietly pat himself on the back and move on. Still, for the next part of his plan he required Percival to be conscious. In preparation Gellert spelled his body lax and limp. It simply wouldn’t do to have come so far only to lose his goal just before achieving it. Meticulously he double checked everything, the container in his pocket, his spell work to keep Percival limp, he went through the spell he would need to use once Percival came to. There was nothing left to do but wait until the man on the bed stirred. Eventually Percival’s eyes fluttered open and a small gasp left his lips as memories flooded back. It was delicious to see the realisation followed by swallowed back panic and stubborn resistance work its way through his features.

“Morning.” Gellert trilled. “Or should I say afternoon? You took quite the nap there. I hope you’re feeling refreshed.” His spell held and Percival lay limp on his back, unable to do anything, not even blink. Despite his assuredness in his own spellwork Gellert approached slowly in case Percival was just biding his time to attack. Nothing happened when he got within reach and Gellert leaned down to run a finger down pale cheeks.

“Now, I just need you to stay very still for me.” He hopped up on the bed and straddled Percival’s chest easily. “But just in case you couldn’t take an order – I know you’re used to doling them out – I put a little spell on you to help.”

Under him Percival was warm and solid. He was sure if the man had been able to he would have tried to buck him off but the spell held. Gellert pulled his wand from its holster and grabbed Percival’s chin to force him to look up. The case he had prepared earlier floated next to his head and popped open, two little dimples in the moist jelly ready to hold his newest treasures.

“You have something I need. So hold still. This will hurt.” Gellert warned before he uttered the spell with a malicious grin. He watched as horror dawned on Percival, his eyes widened as the pressure started to build. A slight tremor passed through the body below him and a whine worked past bloodless lips. Gellert pushed the spell onto Percival more and the man fell still once again but the horror didn’t fade from his features.

His eyes bulged in their socket, eyelids forced wider than the shock of his predicament would have warranted. Gellert watched with fascination as they grew, the white around the brown got bigger and bigger. There was a soft pop as the left one finally slipped out of its socket and a small trail of blood followed from underneath it. Mocking the actions of a lover Gellert used a thumb to wipe the trickles away as the eye pulled out of its socket, muscles and nerve strained before magic sliced through them. The eyeball then floated into the container, followed by the other one shortly after. Gellert took a moment to admire his work, the pink muscles tinged red with blood pooling in the empty sockets. Satisfied with his handiwork Gellert produced a grey strip of cloth and tied it around Percival’s open sockets.

“There, that makes you look a little more presentable.” He scooted off Percival’s chest and scooped up the case with the eyeballs in it. When he was a safe distance away Gellert released the spell. The effect was immediate, Percival curled in on himself with a moan, and hands scrabbled at the strip of fabric. It probably still hurt him, having his eyes taken like that.

“Stop that now. I’ve seen you take a cruciatus curse with more dignity.” Gellert snapped. Percival stilled and the noise stopped. Cautiously he sat up. The cloth had twin circles of dark red seeping through them and blood slowly traced a meandering path down his cheeks.

“That’s better. Now, if you can behave more like a person than an animal I might even help with the pain.” Teeth were bared at him in response but Percival didn’t move. Gellert took a step forward, his foot scuffed the ground and Percival lunged. It was a pitiful attempt as he lost his balance and stumbled to the ground, the momentum of his swing took him down. His captor tutted.

“That’s not what I expect from you. You wanted help to ease the pain and I offered yet this is how you try to repay me. Shame on you Percival. I thought you’d be better than this.” Gellert turned on his heels and left the room, ignoring the heaving sob that broke through pursed together lips as the door swung shut behind him.

In his own room Gellert took the case with the eyes out again. Seer’s eyes were precious commodity and he had to research far into lore to find out how to use them once they were in his possession. He sat cross legged on his bed and ran through his checklist of what he needed. The eyes rolled unseeing in their case, restless without their owner. A deep breath and a moment of quiet to still his mind and Gellert was ready. He murmured the spell and felt pressure build up as his left eye forced its way out of its socket. It hurt more than he wanted to imagine possible, the stretch, strain, like his skull was being turned inside out. Something severed and pinged, then another strand, and another. He lost track after the sixth or seventh squelchy snap. Finally it was over, his blue eye floated down to where a brown one began its journey up. Attaching the eye was no more pleasant than detaching it. The muscles and nerve stretched as they reached for their counterparts on the stolen eyeball. It was bearable until they melded into smooth tissue and pulled. Having the eye pop out was an exquisite agony but to feel it pulled back into place by magic and muscle had Gellert fall onto his side and clutch his head. Eventually it settled into place with a wet sound and the pain stopped. Gellert took a few deep steadying breaths and got up, shuffled to the mirror on the other side of the room and smiled at his reflection. Mismatched eyes stared up at him. What was strange was he could almost see a second image of his ceiling, an echo in his brain that he saw without actually seeing. He turned and realised his own eyeball lay cradled in the case next to Percival’s right eye and stared at the ceiling. The case shut with a snap and the afterimage of the ceiling went dark. It made Gellert think though. Whether Percival could still see with his eyes even if it was Gellert looking through them. He had work to do, but first he needed to rest.

It took a few blinks and several moments for Gellert to wake up. His head was pounding with the aftereffects of magic. No potion was going to help it, he just had to push through. Plans for the day still had to be carried out and after the minute of self-pity he allowed himself he got up. First, he got ready for the day and smirked at his reflection in the mirror. Mismatched eyes suited him and he found he rather liked the look. Before he went to visit Percival with some food he wanted to test a theory. There were books that talked about forced visions and Gellert had all the ingredients ready for his experiment.

The smoke was thick in the room, stifling hot and Gellert sat in a corner of the room, back pushed against the cool wall. He’d already lost his shirt thanks to the heat and his head throbbed viciously. It felt like ghosts were dancing in front of him, wisps and tendrils whipped into humanoid forms who whispered gibberish into the silence. Whenever he closed his right eye they became sharper images but they all took on the shape of Percival and while he still couldn’t understand them, their mocking tone was easy enough to decipher. After two hours Gellert had enough. He banished to smouldering leaves and cleared the smoke. Rapidly the air cooled and goose bumps appeared over his arms. The images in his left eye didn’t linger, nothing showed when he closed his right one. It was a bit of relief even though the headache didn’t clear.

The air in the cell was cool and crisp. Gellert pushed to door open, tray in hand and Percival’s head whipped up. It was eerie how well he seemed to track Gellert’s movements.

“Hello Gellert.” That was unexpected. How did he know who it was? A smile that bared a little too much of his teeth unsettled Gellert. “Didn’t think I’d see you today. How’s your head?”

He knew. Somehow he knew everything Gellert was up to. His mind whirled as he tried to figure out a way round it. He didn’t need Percival seeing his every move. What else could he do? Hear everything Gellert heard?

“Why don’t you put the tray down and come closer? I could help with your headache.”

The tray slammed into the ground and made Gellert’s head throb. But he was too panicked in the moment. He had to get out. Away from Percival and his knowing laugh which followed him out of the cell.

The short term solution was almost too obvious once he was out of the cell. He spelled himself an eyepatch and grinned viciously. That should help keep Percival on his toes. The case with his other eye was firmly shut too so there was no sight he could steal. Confidence bolstered and pain potion downed to ease his headache Gellert walked back down to the cell. He cast a muffling spell on the door and eased it open silently. He wanted to have to upper hand.

Percival was sat on his bed, face turned towards the door and head tilted in a comical fashion. There was no way he could know Gellert was there and yet he was all but staring at the door.

“Hello again.” Gellert wanted to scream. He wasn’t going to be bested by a law abiding MACUSA guard dog. Instead of replying he gritted his teeth and looked around. Nothing jumped out at him as obvious on his first sweep and Percival kept mercifully quiet. Something small moved in the corner of the room, it was a mouse with its head tilted much like Percival’s.

“I see you figured it out. I needed to borrow someone’s sight when you so rudely took mine.”

Gellert held back a growl and stalked towards the mouse. It backed away, mind torn between Percival’s command and its need to flee but the magic was stronger. Gellert stomped on the creature and Percival sighed.

“Really? There was no need for that.” He sounded disappointed.

“You don’t get to tell me that. You’re my prisoner, you’d do best not to forget that. Now. I think we have some business to take care of.” Gellert moved and Percival’s head followed but it was no longer fixed on him. To test his theory Gellert threw a stone to the side and Percival’s head whipped to follow the sound before returning to where he assumed Gellert to be. It was close, but not quite. Good. Before Gellert had a chance to continue he felt soft tendril of magic brush against him before skittering away. A moment later Percival adjusted his head and looked at him again.

“What creature did you find this time?”

“A cockroach. It’s hidden in a crevice and you’ll never find it.”

Gellert had to nod at that and begrudging respect pooled in his mind. Percival was not someone to underestimate even when as heavily disadvantaged as he was. He had to find a way to win him over.

“How’s the head?” It was almost conversational the way Percival asked and drew his attention back to the low level ache that started behind his new eye. “I could teach you how to control it you know. Block things out when you don’t want to See.”

It was a tempting offer and Gellert wanted to take him up on it so badly but he knew that there was bound to be a catch. Percival patted the bed next to him.

“I don’t bite, I promise.” A particularly vicious throb had Gellert giving in. He sank onto the bed and fingers immediately found his shoulder and back of his neck where they began to dig in.

“Your problem is you hold yourself too tight.” Percival whispered in his ear, breath catching warmly over the shell of his ear. “You need to relax. And the best way to do it I found is to let someone else help you.”

The world tipped and Gellert was on his back, Percival straddling him in a mockery of what he’d done to the man the previous day. Firm fingers dug into muscle and Gellert’s eyes only shot open when warm dry lips pressed against his.

“Let me help you relax.” The fingers pushed against his jaw, forcing it to unclench before they continued on their path to nudge the eyepatch off. Percival was right, Gellert could feel himself unwinding and relaxing into the kisses, the warm press of a body on top of him. One hand wound into his hair while the other cupped his face, thumb running across his cheekbone. The grip in his hair turned harsh, the kiss unforgiving and the body above him coiled into an immovable weight. The thumb that had been caressing his cheek slipped up and began to press viciously into his left eye.

It was agony, the slow press, the resistance of his eye slowly giving way. Gellert bit down on the lip pressed against his mouth to keep him quiet. He tasted blood. There was nowhere to escape, he tried to buck Percival off him. Tears mixed with the liquid that seeped from his gouged eyeball mixed as they flowed down his temple and into his hair. Gellert bit down on the lip again and pushed up. The thumb pressed fully into his eye and it was a blazing flame of pain. But he managed to catch Percival off guard and found the leeway to get him off. Gellert made a break for it and ran out of the cell in a tactical retreat. There was still the other eye. Not all was lost. The hollow of where his eye had been tingled as though the magic holding it was unravelling. By the time Gellert got back to his room only an empty socket remained with tracks of blood spider webbed across his cheek.

It was time to stop playing games. Gellert cast charm upon charm on his eye socket to clean it and ready it. He had to other eye. He was going to use it and make it work. True, he needed Percival alive for the Sight to work but his condition wasn’t going to matter anymore. He’d tried to play nice and it didn’t work. Time to do it in any way possible to ensure he got the results he wanted.

Putting the second eye in hurt just as much as when he put the first one in. His lone blue eye in the case rolled listlessly like it knew it narrowly avoided something horrendous. Eye in place Gellert marched back down to Percival. He was going to teach him just how much his little digression was frowned upon. The taint of magic filled the corridor leading up to the cell but Gellert ignored it. He pushed to door open and walked in. Percival looked up from where he sat, the blood stained strip of fabric ran loosely through his fingers. A single brown eye stared up while the right socket was black with dried blood. Percival smiled.

“Hello Gellert.”

**Author's Note:**

> Come say hi on tumblr if you want. @ladyoftheshrimp


End file.
